Forging New Paths

  • So many newbies lately! Here is a very important PSA about one of our most vital content policies! Read it even if you are an ancient member!
Luca looked at Evelyn immediately, questioning, and she smiled a little at the way he seemed to ask for permission. Shaking her head a little, she pushed herself up to sit upright and idly straightened out her shirt. "It would be nice to go for a walk just the three of us." She said, then tilted her head a bit as if to concede a point. "Well. Four of us, if Watson counts as one."

Luca sat up as well when it seemed like Garrett was going to go back inside, a bit sad about leaving the stars but ready enough to go and lie down, in case he might sleep. ". . . Time for bed?"

Evelyn nodded and started to collect mugs to take inside. "We may as well all go. You'll want to be rested for tomorrow, won't you?"

Having a walk to look forward to with Garrett would help motivate him, at least. Maybe she would use it as a reward when he finally started to speak to his therapist in a few days' time.
 
The detective nodded and ambled towards the house, not in a rush but very much ready to lie down and get some rest. "Time for bed," he agreed with Luca. "We'll want all the energy we can for whatever happens tomorrow."

Once inside, he carefully set the outdoor blanket in its spot in the closet. Then he turned and held out his arms. "Anybody want a hug before I turn in for the night? I'm planning on passing out as soon as I flop down on the couch," he added with a laugh.

He still couldn't believe how much he felt at home with Evelyn and Luca. Before he'd met them, it was difficult to fall asleep even in his own apartment. But now, even amidst all the chaos that has befallen the group, Garrett was finding himself with an actual sleep schedule and plenty of good night's sleep whenever he stuck to it.
 
Evelyn gathered the mugs and had Luca bring the pillows in to be stored where they belonged with the blanket, then took the dishes to the sink to be washed after Garrett's bed had been set up. Luca was quick enough to accept the offer, after a somewhat shy pause wherein he reasoned that Garrett had asked so it must be okay to get another hug.

Evelyn came back while the younger man was still holding on, eyes closed, and could only let them be with a little smile. "I'll get the bed set up. Do you want to borrow something of Lucas to sleep in?"
 
"Oh, I'll be just fine in my own clothes," Garrett promised with a soft chuckle, gently rubbing Luca's back and enjoying the hug for as long as he could. "I've slept in so many odd places and in so many different outfits that, frankly, this set of detective gear is one of my most comfortable pairs of pajamas in a way." He let Luca stay in the hug as long as the boy wanted. There was no rush to go anywhere, and Garrett wanted to help make up for lost time as much as he could with the young man.

But he smiled back at Evelyn with twinkling eyes. "Thank you for setting up the bed, by the way. I appreciate it. Would you mind terribly if I woke up a bit earlier and made us all pancakes for breakfast? I've gotten quite good at those, you know. I'll hardly even make a mess. I promise."
 
Evelyn only shrugged, though sleeping in day clothes wasn't something she wholly approved of. "Whatever you say," she conceded, and went about making sure the couch bed had fresh sheets, pillows, and a blanket. "If you'd like to make breakfast, I won't protest. I can help if I'm up before you're done. Thank you."

It was nice of him to offer, and she was finally coming around to the idea of thinking of him less like a houseguest that needed to be catered to every moment and more like someone simply allowed to be, inside her home. He didn't quite live there, but he could find his way around the house and kitchen and help clean dishes after. She could allow that much, at least.

The two young men were not letting go of each other, and for a moment Evelyn stood near the couch waiting, made a show of checking her nonexistant watch for Garrett to see, then finally came over to put a hand gently on one of Luca's arms and urge him away. "All right, boys. Time for bed."

Luca made a faint, displeased sound, but when she tugged lightly on his sleeve finally did let go of Garrett and step back away from the man, fidgeting with his hands already. ". . . goodnight." He didn't want to say goodnight, was sure that he likely wouldn't sleep much that night, if at all, but he was trying to be good and at least attempt to adhere to a 'normal' sleep schedule. Evelyn had explained to him that even if he couldn't sleep, just laying still in bed with his eyes closed would help him feel less tired the next day. If he got too bored he was allowed to get up and walk around the house, or entertain himself with something in his bedroom, but he didn't want to make noise and wake anyone up.

"Goodnight, Garrett," Evelyn added on, pushing gently on Luca to urge him towards the hallway and his room. "I'll leave you a spare toothbrush in the hallway bathroom." Anything else, he was welcome to share whatever they had around.
 
Last edited:
Garrett sighed softly when he and Luca finally had to pull away from each other. ". . . All right. I suppose it is getting pretty late," he admitted at last. He smiled and waved a hand. "Good night, Luca. Good night, Evelyn. I hope you both get plenty of rest. Thanks again for letting me stay over. And for the spare toothbrush."

Once the pair had vanished down the hall, Garrett went to the spare bed and folded his coat up, laying it down next to one of the pillows, and he set his hat on the back of the couch just so he knew where it was. Then he made his way to the bathroom and brushed his teeth.

It wasn't hard to fall asleep once he returned to the bed. And he slept deeply as well, not stirring once until the first rays of sun spilled into the room the next morning. Unless someone shook him or called out his name, he probably wouldn't wake easily.

He finally yawned and sat up early the next morning, glancing around before stretching and ambling into the kitchen to make breakfast. It seemed so oddly normal. But it was refreshing.
 
Evelyn let Luca put himself to bed, only checking on him before she fully settled in herself. She didn't think he was going to sleep that night, but neither was she. It had been a struggle recently, having them both stay in their own bedrooms rather than just letting him come and sleep next to her. That was a selfish thought, though, she told herself. He needed to learn to be independent. The fact that she couldn't close her eyes anymore without being worried about where she would wake up couldn't have anything to do with it.

She was up most of the night and only fell asleep in the early morning. Luca, though he too didn't sleep for long at a time, was up first. He looked at her cracked open bedroom door with some sleepy confusion, then shuffled out to the kitchen to follow the sounds of Garrett cooking.

"Good morning. . ." He mumbled groggily on his way in, rubbing his eyes and wobbling a bit when he stopped next to the counter. When he'd righted himself he looked around, not entirely present yet and wondering why Evelyn wasn't up. ". . . breakfast?"
 
He heard Luca before he saw him. Garrett's ears perked a bit when he caught the sound of Luca's feet shuffling softly down the hallway, and he glanced over and smiled when the young man finally came into view. "Hey, good morning, Luca!" he greeted quietly. "Yeah, I'm starting breakfast. I wanted it to be a surprise for when you and Evelyn woke up."

The detective pulled out a box of pancake mix and grinned. "But since you're already here, you can help me surprise Evelyn if you want! Do you think we should make pancakes or waffles?" There wasn't a large difference between the two, but Garrett thought Luca might appreciate having an option. He already had plans for cutting up some fresh fruit and squeezing fresh orange juice, which hopefully Luca would also find fun. "Did you sleep well last night?" he added, setting the box down and reaching for a mixing bowl next.
 
Slower in the morning than he was in the day, Luca didn't respond at first, instead opting to shuffle over and cling sleepily to Garrett, resting his head on the man's shoulder and trying to think through the fog when all his body wanted was to lay on the floor. "Pancakes." He murmured finally, mostly because his only experience with waffles was the kind that were frozen. After a little longer to think, he gave his head a tiny shake. "Only slept a little. . ."

He'd mostly been awake the whole night, though he'd only gotten up to move a couple of times when he didn't want to stay lying down anymore. Now that he never had to sleep under supervision or handcuffed, he felt better being able to move around freely. He just hadn't emerged to wander about or look out the windows because he knew he could go outside during the day, and they'd already spent a while looking at the stars.
 
Garrett smiled at the gentle thump of Luca's head against his shoulder. "Pancakes it is, then," he said warmly. He raised an eyebrow and glanced backward slightly. "Only slept a little, huh? Well, some sleep is better than no sleep." Then he snickered. "I slept like a rock. I can't remember the last time I've slept so well. It certainly helped knowing everyone was safe."

Once he had the supplies ready, he reached back and gently ruffled Luca's hair. "Would you like to help me make the pancakes, or would you just like to watch? Either one is okay." Luca seemed sleepy, and Garrett didn't want to overwork his mind first thing in the morning. Then again, he knew how much Luca loved being involved in things, so it was just as well he left the option open anyway.

He wasn't surprised that Evelyn was still asleep. He had a hunch she often didn't get a lot of sleep around Luca unless Garrett was also there, if only because she didn't want to leave Luca alone. And on top of that, the last few days had been exhausting for everyone. Garrett was just happy she was resting for once.
 
A little was better than none. Luca supposed it made sense, and he should be happy that he had slept at all even though he couldn't always make his brain be quiet. He closed his eyes and gave a slow, sleepy breath when Garrett ruffled his hair, turning to hide his face in the older man's shoulder for a moment and finally pulling away enough to attempt standing on his own again.

"I want to help. . ." It was okay to help, he thought, since Garrett had asked. Even if standing still for too long made his mind drift and his blinks last longer as if he might fall asleep standing up, he wanted to help. Evelyn always did a lot for him, so he wanted to help do something for her. He wasn't up for anything very precise like measuring the powder and water, but he could help stir, and maybe pour the circles into the pan. Garrett would make sure he didn't set anything on fire.
 
"I very much appreciate it. Thank you, Luca," Garrett said warmly. He poured the pancake box mix and water into a mixing bowl, added a spoon, and slid it over towards Luca. "Would you like to mix this until it gets nice and runny? We want to make sure the pancake batter can be poured," he explained. And while Luca was busy with that, he took some time to prepare the skillet, heating it up and spraying on cooking oil to prepare the surface.

A few minutes passed before Garrett glanced over at Luca's bowl and nodded. "Looks like it's just about ready! Would you like to put chocolate chips in the batter, or should we serve them on the side?" he asked. He recalled Evelyn saying she wouldn't mind chocolate chips in the pancakes at some point, but he wanted to make sure Luca was okay with chocolate chips as well.
 
Luca managed a sleepy little smile when Garrett made it feel like he was doing something important, and leaned a hip against the counter to mix the pancake batter. Once or twice his attention drifted and his hand went slower or completely still, but each time he eventually came back and remembered what he was doing. Standing still and listening to the kitchen noises was calming, which was often why he would come out of his room even when he wasn't ready to get up in the morning, so he could lean on Evelyn and listen to the sounds while she was cooking.

When asked about chocolate chips he had to stop and think for a long moment, then finally looked up from the bowl with a little furrow of concentration in his brow. ". . . In here." He hadn't had chocolate chips in his pancakes before, he thought, but he wanted to try it. Garrett liked it, so he wanted the detective to have it.
 
Garrett smiled and held out the bag of chocolate chips towards him. "All right. Go ahead and scoop as many as you want right into the batter," he said. "It won't change how the pancakes cook, much. There could be as few as a single chocolate chip, or as much as the whole bag. All up to you."

It was a pretty open ended concept, but Garrett was confident Luca would be able to figure it out.

And once Luca had finished putting the chips he wanted into the batter, Garrett's eyes sparkled. "And now, before we start making the pancakes, we should probably test the chocolate chips and make sure they taste good," he said. He winked and took a handful of chocolate chips to pop into his mouth, and then held the bag out to Luca again.

He knew that, thanks to Evelyn, Luca was exposed to a perfectly balanced diet now most of the time, so a few treats here and there wouldn't hurt.
 
Having to guess at an uncertain amount of chocolate chips, with no measurement, was strangely overwhelming. Luca stood holding the bag for almost a full minute before very carefully pouring some in, stopping to look at it before adding more, and repeating until he thought maybe it was enough. A questioning look at Garrett convinced him to set the bag carefully aside where it wouldn't spill, but he stopped when Garrett wanted to take some.

Curious at the idea of chocolate before breakfast, he gave a little smile in response to Garrett's wink but only looked at the bag for a pause before carefully taking it and shaking just five or six into his hand to eat slowly, one by one. He did like chocolate, and it helped get rid of the odd taste in his mouth after sleeping, or at least lying around not drinking anything all night. The wink made him feel like 'testing' the chips was just being sneaky, and it felt strangely nice to be part of some sort of joke.

". . . In the pan now?" He asked, curious though he was mostly awake by now, albeit a little slower than normal still. He didn't want to ruin anything by burning it, so he would probably let Garrett do the actual cooking.
 
Even though Luca took a while, Garrett was in no rush. The longer they took to make the pancakes, the higher the chance that Evelyn might wake up and join them while the food was fresh and hot. He stood quietly and only smiled whenever Luca glanced up at him. Eventually, Luca settled on an amount of chocolate chips, and the pair partook in "sneaking" them together. "Now, obviously, we're allowed to eat food whenever we want," Garrett explained, chewing. "But somehow it just tastes better when I pretend to sneak it."

He chuckled and nodded. "Yup! You can take that ladle there and pour on four pancakes at a time, one in each corner of the skillet. I can flip 'em. Breakfast should be ready . . . hm, probably between fifteen and twenty minutes, give or take. Maybe a bit longer."

While Luca poured the batter, Garrett started up some bacon in a second pan, humming and licking his lips. "This is going to be such a tasty breakfast, and we haven't even cut the fruit yet!"
 
Luca frowned a little still, hesitant to be the one to pour things, but even though he hesitated he at least knew that if he poured in one spot it would spread and make a circle because of some sort of law of physics. He got a paper towel to mop up the side of the bowl when he was done, and very, very carefully poured four circles onto the pan, slowly enough that they wouldn't quite all need to turn at the same time.

"Oh." He said when he was done, making an almost distressed sort of face even as he cleaned up the drip on the bowl to stop himself from making a mess on the counter. "They touched. . ." That was bad, wasn't it? Two of the pancakes had touched edges in the middle and were connected now. He'd messed it all up, hadn't he?
 
Garrett caught the look on Luca's face and reached out to gently pat his shoulder. "It's all right," he said softly. "That just means this one will be one big pancake instead of two smaller pancakes! We're gonna cut the pancakes anyway with our forks and knives, so it won't change anything except the way I flip it."

He smiled and held out his spatula. "Watch. If I go right in the middle of the pancake, I can flip the whole thing over at once." He carefully did so, grinning when the pancake landed perfectly on the skillet. "Tadaa!" He flipped the rest of the pancakes over as well. Then, once they'd finished cooking, he scooped them off to the side to stack them on a plate. He turned and nodded to Luca. "All right, Luca! I'm ready for some more batter. Say, wanna try making an even bigger pancake? Go ahead and pour all four ladles right near the center."
 
Luca was still unsure, but he moved out of the way and tried to relax at Garrett's reassurance, watching cautiously as the detective used a spatula to flip the pancake over. He had thought it would fall apart, but somehow Garrett made it better and Luca was able to exhale and relax slowly.

"All of it?" He asked softly, curious and confused, but obediently went about putting the batter where Garrett wanted it, though he did so slowly and required more encouraging to keep going with more ladlefuls. The pancake that resulted was as big around as the plates they would put it on, and he watched it with slightly wide-eyed amazement as if cooked. "Will it be okay?"

Further into the house, he could hear small sounds that told him Evelyn would come out soon, like the noise her dresser drawers made when she got clothes out to wear. It was quiet, but when he was waiting for her he was usually better at listening than normal.
 
"Oh yeah, it'll be great!" Garrett assured him. "All we need to do is use the double spatula technique! Now, uh - I'm still a bit new to this, but I'm sure it'll be fine." He watched the pancake carefully. When it looked ready, he used two spatulas to flip it up into the air.

But it didn't quite land in the pan.

The pancake flew back down and landed splat on the detective's head. He blinked a few times, watching pancake batter drip down his nose. Then he laughed. "Oops! Ah - I guess I need more practice." He scraped the pancake off his head and put it in the trash can. "Let me go wipe off my hair real quick. Be right back." He went to the bathroom to wash up.

Then he came back, still smiling. "There! Nice and clean. Want to try again?" he asked. He left the question open ended, just in case Luca wasn't up to trying again. But hopefully he could convince him that some mistakes were okay.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom
Back